Haylage

[charliesarmy]

Due to a lack of hay in my area I've been offered large bale haylage my question is how long does this last once its been opened??? and once opened what are the signs its gone off??

 

[Nailed]

i have a large bale of hayleadge for one horse and it last 3 weeks, if you remove all the wrapper off the sides it wont go off it will just dry alittle.

Lou x

 

[charliesarmy]

Excellent I was getting worried got a big 17.3 in foal and a little 10.2 and was thinking I'd end up throwing more than I used

so (being dense) if I remove all the wrapper it should be alright but just dry out....wer who my horses can eat over winter...

 

[Damnation]

Hayledge, depending on the quality lasts up to 2/3 weeks. You can tell if its going rotten because it goes white and it stinks!!

 

[JessPickle]

haylage you can tell when its off, it smells absulutely disgusting and you can see mold!

 

[Britestar]

Try and ensure its a drier type than wetter.

Store it in a well ventilated area, and it will last longer. Try and put it onto a pallet so air can circulate under it too, plus it makes it easier to fill your nets.

 

[DuckToller]

I pull mine apart as much as possible and spread it around so it dries a little and that way it lasts. Don't be tempted to fill a week's worth of haynets in one day as the bit in the middle stays damp and can go off.

I had one large round bale that was very wet and I didn't use it quickly enough. It heated up as hot as a bath and had steam rising from it - looked like a christmas pudding! But that was only one out of hundreds.

I've been told that the white mould is ok because it is sugar mould, so you can still feed, but if it has a strong odour it's off. You do have to be careful of botulism though once it gets over a certain period, so if in doubt don't use it. Think your horses will tell you!

 

[Daisychain]

I buy the large square bales, i open one end only and take off a slice at a time, this works fine and it keeps for up to 3 weeks, the only time i have had a problem is if the other end gets punctured, say if a horse bites a chunk out, then heat generates and it goes off quickly. I wouldnt use anything else these days.

 

[charliesarmy]

Thank you all pretty worried about the botchulism post as big girls pregnant but I think/know she's a fussy bu@@er anyway and won't eat it if its skankey well hopefully!!!!